


It's a Date!

by thedarkwhiteangel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, F/M, Just a brief mention of Marinette's parents, ML Secret Santa, ninette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-10-01 21:05:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17251382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkwhiteangel/pseuds/thedarkwhiteangel
Summary: It was a quiet moment that seemed outside of the world, they sat across from each other on a warm metal bench, an odd and wonderful find as the heat left their hemisphere for summer across the world.It reminded him of when they were kids, five or six, and waiting on a bench like this for their parents to pick them up. He had been promising that yes he would be there tomorrow, and he would trade his apple for her marzipan and they would finish their lunch as fast as possible so they could play house again. Marinette had complained that she didn't want to stay in the house and wanted to go to 'work'.Background mention of Childhood Friends AU.





	It's a Date!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lahiffed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lahiffed/gifts).



> Hi, sorry this is late. I've just been feeling really uninspired lately and just really unable to write. It's super depressing and I feel like this fic is really lackluster because of that. So, sorry again. 
> 
> Anyway, this takes place in a sort of au, sort of not world. In my head it takes place after Chameleon (I'm never getting over that until justice is given!) either after the truth comes out or after Nino finds out that Adrien knew Lila was lying and didn't bother telling him. Basically, they're both feeling really betrayed by their best friends and become closer because the need for comfort and reluctance to just pretend everything is okay. This probably takes place a few months after that.

It was a quiet moment that seemed outside of the world, they sat across from each other on a warm metal bench, an odd and wonderful find as the heat left their hemisphere for summer across the world.  

 

It reminded him of when they were kids, five or six, and waiting on a bench like this for their parents to pick them up. He had been promising that yes he would be there tomorrow, and he would trade his apple for her marzipan and they would finish their lunch as fast as possible so they could play house again. Marinette had complained that she didn't want to stay in the house and wanted to go to 'work'. 

 

And so it happened that the next day Marinette had gone out to 'work' and Nino had stayed home to clean and take care of their doll kids. The memory made him laugh, mostly because it was associated with a different one of them when they were ten or eleven and had been making fun of the incident, specifically teasing Nino for being the wife.  

 

Nino laughed and pushed her shoulder before putting his hand back down on the table. "Nette, Marinette, do you remember when we used to play house and I always had to play the wife?" 

 

She grinned wickedly, her blue eyes crinkling at the corners, "you did make a good housewife." She put her hands flat on the table and sort of stood up. Her knees were still on the bench so she rested a full head above him.  

 

Her hair was in her customary pigtails, today yellow ribbons that matched the soft yellow tunic shirt she had created and was wearing were wrapped around the bands. The sun filtered down through her hair to his face and she was glowing.  

 

Her eyes shone bright in contrast to the dark shine of the sun in her hair as she laughed, they seemed to glow. "Nino, you know what I remember best?" 

 

He grinned at her, ready to refute everything. "And what do you remember, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" 

 

The sun in this area shone hot on his head and there was sweat on the back of his neck, thankfully a steady breeze was blowing through.  

 

"I remember that time that you kept accidentally calling my mom your mom for like a whole week." 

 

He rolled his eyes, smiling and feeling the sun hit his teeth, making everything feel a bit dream-like. "You're just jealous that your mom likes me better." 

 

"Oh, whatever you want to keep telling yourself, Nino." She threw an orange slice at him and it bounced off his nose and fell down onto his tray. He stuck his tongue out at her and picked up the slice, putting it in his mouth and relishing the cool, tangy taste. 

 

Marinette laughed and handed him half of her orange—the bigger half. Their skin touched for a moment and he smiled softly, thanking her for the fruit. 

 

"If, as you allege, my mom somehow likes you better than she likes me, her own daughter, then I hope you know that such a grievous crime cannot go unpunished. I'm going to have to kill everyone to hide the evidence. I hope you're happy." 

 

_Drama queen._  

 

"Well, I guess we're doomed." He flicked the smooth, sticky part of the orange that separated the orange from the peel at her. It landed in her hair and the pale orangeish yellow stood out hilariously.  

 

Marinette pouted at him and picked it out before throwing it back at him. "My mom only likes you more--allegedly-- because you were so short and tiny that she felt bad for you and worried that you needed someone to protect you." 

 

"Oh, whatever, I only stayed shorter than you for, like, three years. Maybe five." Nino took his cap off and shook it menacingly at her, making her laugh. "You're just threatened because you're so short." 

 

Marinette gasped in mock outrage. Loudly. Someone two tables down turned to look at them before dismissing it and turning back to his friends. 

 

"That's right," Nino added, doing his best 'I'm an American hick and I don't appreciate you youngsters having fun these days, so I'm calling the cops' voice, "you great hag, now I said stay away. You hear?" 

 

Marinette was violently giggling, shrieking, "okay, okay, yes, sir!" And throwing her hands up.  

 

Nino put up finger guns, pointing them at her and shaking his fingers. "I'm not afraid to shoot, ya hear, I dun' always do what I gotta."  

 

"Nino, no! Stop! My stomach hurts!" 

 

He laughed. For someone as ripped as she was, she complained of her stomach hurting from laughter really quickly.  

 

Speaking of ripped- Nino set his elbow on the table, hand extended. He pointed his finger at his upper arm for an entirely useless explanation. "Speaking of guns we need to worry about, you better put yours away."  

 

Marinette laughed again, her hands flew up to her face and covered her mouth and Nino was absolutely endeared. Her nails were a bright, warm shade of green that immediately reminded him of spring and April days and picnics and bike rides and how spring was almost certainly made for Marinette. Or maybe Marinette was too much for a single body to carry and her soul leaked out and warmed the hills around her. Maybe her soul brought those healing rains and melted the snow-- not that they had gotten much yet so far this year-- and helped the birds sing and animals grow and leave their shelters.  

 

Maybe she was wonderful and he was infatuated. And utterly hopeless, he didn't stand a chance. 

 

"Flex, Marinette, and the country's going to enter a state of national crisis. It'll be treason."  

 

She put her head down on the table and he could see the back of her neck as well as her shoulders were pink. He smiled, pleased.  

 

"I still don't know how you're so buff, you say you lift those flour sacks often, but your parents are nowhere near as buff as you." 

 

They were rather muscled though, it was kind of intimidating. They were a family of loving, generous, talented,  _ripped_  people.  

 

And yet, Marinette was leagues above them in terms of physique. She was thin, yes, but her whole body was toned. It only made her more spectacular. And more out of his league. 

 

She looked a little nervous for some reason, but he didn't read too much into it. She was hiding a big secret, that much was clear, but if she was keeping something from them it was no doubt for good reason and he wasn't going to be the one to contradict that and run the risk of getting her hurt or landing her in trouble. 

 

"Really, they're heavy, and you know how competitive I get, so I'll carry more than everyone else just to outshoot everyone else. Especially Papa and the delivery guys. Gotta show 'em who's boss, you know?" 

 

Well, he squinted teasingly at her, she  _was_  competitive, and he had met the teen who often helped deliver their flour and sugar orders. He made a big show of trying to carry more than her the time that he had been there. Which only spurred Marinette on further. They were  _insane_. 

 

"Fine, then, keep your secrets."  

 

"Ni- _NO_!" 

 

He chuckled and popped another orange slice in his mouth. The mood as winter crept in was restless and it showed in everyone's behaviour. Especially Marinette's. She was sluggish, and though she reacted fast, she was clearly having a hard time showing that she registered that anything was happening worth reacting to. Which was one reason it was really wonderful they had found this sunny spot.  

 

Sure, she perked up again in warm rooms and comfy spaces, but it really wasn't the same as her reaction to actual sunlight. When she was awake it was with a slow and unhurried attitude. Let alone any urgency, which in the case of Marinette's tardy record, was absolute murder.  

 

And, Nino thought, this happenstance was not helped by the fact that she seemed to have a natural habit of gravitating toward warm or heated objects. If she was lucky enough, both. Except for this morning when  she had done that by almost falling asleep on the projector at the front of the class and embarrassing herself. 

 

Regardless, it was nice having her present here with him. 

 

They were quiet for a bit. Marinette had an odd look on her face, she seemed to be contemplating something.  

 

Abruptly, she sat down on the bench, correctly this time, and looked up at him. "Hey, Nino, there's this ice skating rink downtown that I wanted to check out. Do you wanna come?" 

 

"Sure, that'd be fun." He would never pass up time with her, and this might be exciting, they could skate and get cocoa. It would be great. 

 

"No, Nino, I mean like a date." 

 

Oh. 

 

She wasn't looking at him, studiously staring off to the side of his head, but her face was pink and that said everything. 

 

Oh.  

 

He flushed, and then started grinning a little, this was  _kind of amazing_. "Yeah,  _yeah_ , I'd love that. Maybe we could go get some cocoa after?" 

 

She smiled and her teeth were showing, which made Nino kind of smile wider too.  

 

"That would be great." 

 

He laughed, giddy, "it's a date!" 

 

She giggled.  

 

It was a date. Wow.  _A date_. 

 

This was great, wow, he couldn't wait.  


End file.
